Being an entrepreneur is something you are, it’s not something you do. It’s not a process, or a system. An entrepreneur is possessing six things, the six essential traits. And the reality is, entrepreneurs are born with these traits, you exhibit them your whole life. You cannot learn them. It is absolutely nature, over nurture.
The first phase in Entrepreneurial Leap is to CONFIRM that you are in fact an entrepreneur-in-the making. In this first step toward becoming an entrepreneur, I paint a vivid picture of the entrepreneur’s unique DNA and describe in detail the six essential traits mentioned above.
What If You’re Missing an Essential Trait?
I’m often asked the question, “what if I’m missing only one of the essential traits?” My answer is usually to ask, “what if you are missing only one vital component of your car?” Just as a gasoline powered car needs an engine, transmission, wheels, a steering wheel, gas, and oil to function, the entrepreneur needs to be a visionary, passionate, a problem solver, driven, a risk taker, and responsible.
If you are still having reservations about this concept, let’s take a closer look at the pitfalls of not possessing the essential trait of “being driven”.
Not Having the Driven Trait
Being driven is having a competitive edge and intensity that drives you, a sense of urgency to want to succeed. You are unstoppable.
The downside of lacking this essential trait should be pretty obvious. It’s the most common reason entrepreneurs fail. To succeed, you have to love working hard. Entrepreneurship means rolling up your sleeves, and most people just don’t want to work that hard. They aren’t self-motivated enough. Being driven means you never take your foot off the gas. You know that there are a thousand other hard workers trying to beat you and you must outwork them. You must have a burning desire to succeed.
Dan Sullivan describes those who are self-motivated as “batteries-included people”. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve sat with “batteries-not-included people” who want to be successful and accomplish big goals. These people start out totally energized when I sit with them for an hour or two. During the meeting, I help them document their vision, plan the big picture, assess the money they’re going to make and all the people they’re going to help.
However, when we start boiling down the plan of attack and all of the work that they must do in the next three months, the life completely goes out of them. They look like they need a nap, and I never hear from them again.
Next Steps
I urge you to take the Entrepreneur-in-the-making Assessment to learn if you’re really cut out for the journey. The first step toward taking your entrepreneurial leap is to truly know yourself.
Also, fill out the My Vision Clarifier to see if you are driven enough to bring your idea to market.
Do You Have the Necessary Drive to Become an Entrepreneur?
Drive is one of the 6 Essential Traits you must possess to become an entrepreneur. “Essential” is defined as “absolutely necessary, extremely important.” You have to have all of the
